


Once a Bandit

by Nebulad



Series: To Live Without Fear [5]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Abellan mention, Friendship, Gen, Post-Trespasser, Solavellan mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-16
Updated: 2016-05-16
Packaged: 2018-06-08 20:38:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6872551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nebulad/pseuds/Nebulad
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Maybe bring more guards?”</p><p>“To what? Kill the bandits?” She clasped a hand over her heart. <i>“Mythal’enaste,</i> why don’t you just go back in time and smother me in the cradle?”</p><p>“Because you’re too difficult to kill and I assume that started at birth,” he returned. “I’ve been working on trying to make Abelas a double agent, but he just keeps snapping something at me in Elvish that sounds <i>awfully</i> rude.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Once a Bandit

“Is this _necessary?”_ Saevin was probably destroying the lovely carriage that her and Dorian were taking south to Vyrantium and although she knew the carvings would _ruin_ this one, she would rather cover his expensive belongings in Elvish than get robbed on the road.

“I spent a long time as a bandit,” she reminded him. “We have signals that mark a carriage as safe— those with servants or slaves inside that we can’t risk attacking, nobles that have proven themselves capable of basic decency… well there’s a whole bunch.” She wasn’t supposed to tell a _shem_ any of them, but there she was anyway. Dorian wasn’t just any _shem,_ he was her _best shem._ “If we don’t want to get caught in a stick-up, we tell the scouts that the carriage is safely transporting a Keeper and her guest to an intended location. If we get stopped, don’t say anything. Let me talk to them.”

“Should we have hand signals so I can ask to blink?” he asked wryly, relaxing against a garden wall while she darkened up her grooves a bit.

“No, they’ll know we’re communicating and get antsy.” He’d been making fun of her, but this was an absolutely necessary measure. She couldn’t _fight_ the bandits unless they were doing something wrong. The only way to tell if they’d abandoned the honour code was to follow the rules and wait for _them_ to break them. After that, she was fully authorized to defend their possessions.

“Maybe bring more guards?”

“To what? Kill the bandits?” She clasped a hand over her heart. _“Mythal’enaste,_ why don’t you just go back in time and smother me in the cradle?”

“Because you’re too difficult to kill and I assume that started at birth,” he returned. “I’ve been working on trying to make Abelas a double agent, but he just keeps snapping something at me in Elvish that sounds _awfully_ rude.”

“Nonsense. You know I only date the most lighthearted and social men.” If she stabbed a little harder at the carriage than necessary while marking it for _Keeper,_ it had nothing to do with the conversation.

“Of course. You know I sometimes miss Solas’ fancy, footloose attitude. A charming man, really, I’ll never understand why it didn’t work out.” He flicked his hand and a little force magic moved the wood shavings away from her bare feet. She nodded gratefully, although the her soles had become too rough for splinters when she was a toddler.

“Abelas is a Knight-Enchanter as well, sort of. You know how it is— I love a man that can summon a sword from thin air.” That wasn’t even a complete lie; she really did appreciate having someone to train with, who could help her learn and learn _from_ her.

“Remind me to keep a very close eye on you in Vyrantium. It’s the southernmost city and the mages there are absolute brutes, swinging their swords around—”

“Careful now.”

“Oh no, not in the charming and not-at-all-brutish way you do it,” he corrected fluidly, grinning at her. His grin turned to a scowl, though, as she started work on the simple _stop for inquiry_ symbol. She would rather offer to explain their situation than hope that they would trust the signs— it was an offer of goodwill, and expected of a Keeper anyway. “You don’t think you’re being at all unreasonable?” he asked, straightening up as if he were going to even try to make a move to stop her.

“Maybe I’m just being paranoid,” she admitted. “But there’s been rumours of the bandits getting bold now that Solas has them all convinced that wholescale slaughter is the only option elves have, and I have to know for sure. To know for sure—” she pulled back and tapped the many, many lines embedded in his carriage, “—I need to use the symbols.”

He sighed in a way that said _if you must_ rather than _yes Saevin I now completely understand and take back that rude thing I said,_ but she took it anyway so long as she could finish up the carving.

**Author's Note:**

> so okay, I'm the first to admit that I suck so let's get that out of the way. But okay, for genfic I would like to usually stay away from discussions of LIs. sometimes I throw something small in there so I can tag it as a ship (so people will fuckin read it), and sometimes I do like this and make it a conversational piece to remind everyone that Dorian is gay and this is in no way shippy. My pairings are mainly #banter because my asexual ass isn't going to write smut, so I wanted to plant a flag down hard. Charming banter for two charming assholes who are from the same country. Besties, and besties who are both into men. [My writing blog is here](http://nebulaad.tumblr.com) for some of this on your dash, along with a bunch of writing shenanigans and not all from me.


End file.
